Creamy Beet Risotto with Orange Glazed Tilapia

Beets. Ugh.
When I first discovered I was playing with beets this round, I was less than excited. - This recipe has forever changed my feelings.


The contenders:

Beets and Oranges

Creamy Beet Risotto

1/4 cup Butter
2 whole Beets, Chopped Small
1 whole Onion, Chopped Small
1 cup Arborio Rice
3 cups Chicken stock
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup Goat Cheese

1/2 cup wilted spinach (just cause I had some I needed to get rid of)

Melt the butter and toss in the onion and beets - cook for 8-10minutes to caramelize those onions. Add rice, broth and balsamic vinegar - bring to a boil and then let simmer about 20-30 minutes - stirring every so often. Then add salt and pepper to taste, goat cheese and spinach.

Orange Glazed Tilapia

2 tilapia fillets

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 cup orange juice (4-5 oranges fresh squeezed)

1 tbsp honey

Flour

Salt and pepper

Dredge tilapia in a flour, salt and pepper mixture. In a skillet over medium heat - pop in the evoo before placing in fillets - cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from skillet - I tossed them into my oven to keep them warm. Add in butter, orange juice and honey and simmer about 15 minutes - after about 15 minutes it'll thicken. Drizzle this glaze over the tilapia. 

The end result:

The verdict? Sweet and savory. The risotto was creamy and sweet. And the beets and goat cheese? A match made in heaven. I would also consider this one of the prettiest recipes I've ever made. The bold, dark tones of the spinach compliment the deep rich reds and magentas from the beets, punctuated by the vivid white goat cheese. Very, very beautiful.

Then the tilapia - I like tilapia because of it's mild flavor (which is sometimes a challenge when you want it to be flavorful) - the orange glaze was a brilliant, and simple way of dressing up the fish. The glaze is almost too orangey on it's own, but with the tilapia, I just couldn't get enough. 

Overall, I was very surprised by these recipes - I wasn't looking forward to this specific challenge, but I'm pleased with the results!